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We all knew the Moto Guzzi V85 TT was on its way. It was all a matter of when it might arrive and what its price tag would be. Well, now it’s official: the all-new adventure motorcycle from Moto Guzzi will hit US dealerships this May and will cost you $11,990 for the base model and $12,990 for the top-tier Adventure. It’s now available for pre-orders.
Late last year, Triumph unveiled its own retro-styled adventure motorcycle, the Scrambler 1200, but its big sticking point was the $15,400 sticker price. The Scrambler has all the hallmarks a great, modern Triumph motorcycle including undeniably classy looks and copious amounts of the latest technology. But there’s just something wrong about taking a beautiful bike with price tag that large off-road – especially considering the likely scenario of damaging its expensive-to-replace metal tank should the bike go down. That’s why most, if not all, off-roaders are clad in plastic.
Moto Guzzi went the same vintage route as Triumph: classic styling, a metal tank and a lack of plastic. But the Italian bike is slightly more affordable, and if you pre-order, you get a $250 credit towards accessories. Granted, the V85 TT is smaller, so it’s down on power, but not as much as you’d think. The 859cc transverse V-twin sends 80 horsepower and 59 ft-lbs of torque through its drive shaft. That’s compared to Triumph’s 1200cc parallel-twin which puts out 89 horsepower and 80 ft-lbs. Both come with a full-color TFT display, a suite of riding modes, tunable ABS and different levels of traction control.
Despite the Triumph hitting the road first, considering the marginal gap in performance and small price difference, the Scrambler 1200 and the V85 TT make for an intriguing head-to-head comparison. The world of vintage-style adventure bikes is still small but based on the flood of glowing reviews of the Triumph, the Moto Guzzi is looking at an uphill battle.
